War of the Worlds (2025) — Ice Cube vs. the Martians, or How to Waste 90 Minutes of Your Existence

War of the Worlds (2025): full review

You walk into the theater hoping that, at the very least, War of the Worlds (2025) will deliver a couple of decent scares, a memorable villain, or—failing that—a mindless but entertaining ride. Wrong. What you get is a product so predictable you could script every twist before it happens, as if someone blended an episode of 24 with the leftovers of a 2000s Syfy TV movie. Universal Pictures and Bazelevs, the production company behind Timur Bekmambetov—that guy who brought us Wanted and its hyperactive music video aesthetic—have teamed up to gift us 90 minutes of cinema that oscillates between boring and outright insulting. It’s not that the movie is bad per se; it’s that it’s irrelevant, like a canceled TV show episode no one asked to resurrect.

Rich Lee, a director with experience in music videos and the occasional episode of series like The Flash, seems to have confused breakneck pacing with a succession of poorly assembled scenes. The film kicks off with Will Radford (Ice Cube), a cybersecurity analyst who spends his days staring at screens in a government bunker, like Jack Bauer’s poor cousin. The premise sounds promising: an attack by an unknown entity threatening national security, conspiracy theories, and a protagonist who uncovers a government cover-up. But this is where Marc Hyman’s script—a guy with more TV credits than film ones—decides originality is an unnecessary luxury. Every line of dialogue sounds like a generic action script template, and every plot twist feels plucked from a How to Write a Thriller in 10 Steps manual someone found in a trash can.

The problem isn’t just that the movie is predictable; it’s that it doesn’t care. There’s no tension, no mystery, no sense that something monumental is at stake. The aliens, when they finally show up, are as threatening as a recycled Power Rangers action figure. The special effects, which should be the main course of an alien invasion flick, look like they were lifted from a 2015 mobile game. And the production design, which tries to lend gravitas with its dark bunkers and surveillance screens, falls into the same old tropes: blue monitors, flickering lights, and an atmosphere that reeks of CSI on steroids. Christopher Probst, the cinematographer, does what he can with subpar material, but even the world’s best chef would struggle to turn a pack of instant noodles into a feast.

Then there’s the cast. Ice Cube, an actor who’s more than proven he can carry a movie on his shoulders, seems to be here out of inertia, as if someone asked, "Hey, wanna do an alien thriller?" and he replied, "Sure, why not?" His performance is solid, but there’s no chemistry with the rest of the ensemble. Eva Longoria, who should be the emotional counterweight, is reduced to recycling the same worried expressions she perfected in Desperate Housewives, minus the charm of that show’s context. Clark Gregg, an actor who usually shines in supporting roles (anyone say Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?), is little more than a government-issued piece of furniture here. And the young cast, Iman Benson and Henry Hunter Hall, seem lost, as if no one bothered to explain what the hell is going on in the plot.

Direction and staging: the art of wasting talent

Rich Lee’s visual style can best be described as music video on fast-forward with a deadline. The film is shot with quick cuts, rapid editing, and a camera that moves so much it looks like the operator had Parkinson’s. There’s not a single memorable shot or a composition that invites reflection. It’s all noise, movement, and a complete lack of ideas. When the aliens finally appear, the film opts to hide them in the shadows, as if revealing their designs would be a spoiler. Mistake. If you’re making an alien invasion movie, at least let us see the damn creatures. Here, the aliens are little more than shadows with glowing eyes, like the poor cousins of Transformers’ Decepticons.

The script, meanwhile, is a festival of clichés. Will Radford uncovers a government cover-up, but instead of building an interesting plot around that conflict, the movie repeats the same scene ad nauseam: Will looks at a screen, sees something weird, asks his superiors about it, gets told not to worry, and rinse and repeat. There’s no progression, no evolution, nothing to make you want to keep watching. And when something finally happens—like the alien attack on a city—the film resolves it with a couple of generic explosions and a shot of Ice Cube running as if he’s being chased by a ghost. There’s not even an attempt to build an atmosphere of terror or mystery. It’s as if the screenwriter jotted down the synopsis on a napkin and decided that was good enough.

Performances: a cast that deserved better

Ice Cube is, by far, the film’s best element. He’s got charisma, presence, and knows how to sell a line, even when the line is terrible. But even he seems aware he’s slumming it in a lesser product. His performance is competent, but there are no nuances, no standout moments. It’s like watching a great actor in a pilot episode for a series that’ll never air. Eva Longoria, meanwhile, has a role that could’ve been interesting—a scientist uncovering the truth about the aliens—but the script reduces her to the typical "strong woman who only screams and runs." Clark Gregg, an actor who usually excels in supporting roles, is little more than a suited bureaucrat repeating the same lines over and over. And the young cast, Iman Benson and Henry Hunter Hall, seem adrift, as if no one bothered to explain the plot to them.

The biggest problem isn’t that the performances are bad; it’s that they don’t matter. The film doesn’t care about developing its characters or giving them motivations beyond "survive" or "uncover the truth." There are no dramatic arcs, no moments of emotional tension, nothing to make you connect with them. They’re cogs in a machine that exists solely to move the plot from point A to point B, without stopping to explore what lies in between.

The best

• Ice Cube: Despite everything, the man’s got presence. Even in a mediocre movie like this, his charisma ensures you at least pay attention when he’s on screen.
• A few action shots: There are a couple of chase scenes that, while generic, are well-choreographed and have decent pacing. Too bad they last less than a minute.
• The initial premise: The idea of a cybersecurity analyst uncovering a government conspiracy has potential. If someone had developed the script with a bit more care, this could’ve been interesting.

The worst

Marc Hyman’s script: A festival of clichés, repetitive dialogue, and plot twists you can see coming from a mile away. It’s like someone blended Independence Day with The X-Files* and decided that was enough.
The aliens: Not only are they ugly, but the film insists on hiding them. When they finally appear, they look like they were lifted from a 90s Power Rangers* episode. They’re not scary, they don’t impress, they contribute nothing.

• The pacing: The movie doesn’t know what it wants to be. Sometimes it’s a conspiracy thriller, other times a family drama, and other times an action blockbuster. The result is a mess that doesn’t work in any register.


• The lack of chemistry in the cast: Ice Cube and Eva Longoria have zero connection on screen. It’s like watching two actors reading their lines separately and then editing the takes together.


• The special effects: They look like they were pulled from a 2015 mobile game. The explosions, the aliens, even the shots of the destroyed city—everything has a cheap, tacky vibe that undermines any attempt at spectacle.


• The ending: Predictable, anticlimactic, and so generic you could’ve written it yourself in five minutes. There are no surprises, no emotions, nothing to make you feel like you’ve spent your time wisely.

The Verdict of Claqueta Ácida

War of the Worlds (2025) is the perfect example of how to waste a budget, a talented cast, and a premise with potential. Universal Pictures and Bazelevs have turned what could’ve been an interesting invasion thriller into a generic, predictable, and boring product. Ice Cube and Eva Longoria do what they can, but Marc Hyman’s script and Rich Lee’s direction are so mediocre that not even the world’s best actor could save this. If you’ve got 90 minutes to spare and a masochistic streak, this is your movie. If you’re looking for something with even a hint of originality, tension, or emotion, keep walking. It’s not worth your time or your money. 💀

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